Buffett backs InBev bid, Belgian newspaper says
Belgian newspaper De Standard this morning is reporting that Warren Buffett is supporting InBev’s $47.5 billion takeover offer for Anheuser-Busch Cos.
Quoting sources, the paper says Buffett is willing to sell his A-B shares to the Belgian brewer. Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway owns a 5 percent stake in the St. Louis-based brewer.
A spokeswoman at Berkshire Hathaway would not provide comment to De Standard for its story.
Buffett’s support for the deal could smooth the way for InBev’s effort to buy the St. Louis-based brewer. InBev is offering $65 a share for A-B.
British newspaper The Observer reported Sunday that the billionaire plans to meet with A-B CEO August A. Busch IV this week to discuss the InBev offer.
Citing its anonymous sources, The Observer reported that Buffett believes the Busch family should consider discussions with InBev rather than reject the bid outright.
The Busch family is from German origin and the Budweiser beer is Czech.
Belgium - Germany - Czech Republic, three neighboring countries, and arguably the three countries with the richest beer brewing tradition in the world. Budweiser is coming home
The world and the St. Louis economy didn’t come to a screeching halt when SBC left town, TWA was bought out or the Ford plant closed. Consolidations in business happen all the time.
They took our jeerrrrrbbbssss!!!!
I can’t believe that Buffett would back this! Will we have any American-owned companies left? AB is a great American story, and a great American company. I am committed to boycott any and all AB products if this sale goes through. I will force myself to drink Miller if need be.
Guess it’s all about money. Anything has a price, this is so sad. Anheuser-Busch is as American as the Arch, Forest Park etc., maybe we can sell them too. I don’t buy anything made in China or Citgo products and AB products will have go on my list of do not buy items.
AB is gone because its management left if vulnerable. InBev will control Budweiser and that blame goes to August Busch IV and his predecessor. The only relevant question is what will STL do about it? Will STL do its typical response and go reactionary? See: TWA, airport runway expansion, earnings tax, 40 Highway project without public transportation, ballpark village, 60 corrupt aldermen, weak city government, and where did you go to high school? Or will STL pick itself up and do some constructive negotiating with InBev to limit the hit as much as possible. Maybe, just maybe we could actually add jobs or convince InBev to move its headquarters here.
Or we could just complain about W. Buffett.
I’m sad to see this happen but if AB didn’t go public in 1983 then this would of never happened. I don’t feel sorry for the Busch family. Buffett is a business man. Don’t let his liberal views confuse you.
I’m switching to Jack Daniels
It at least is still MADE IN AMERICA
The source here is the Belgain newspaper, There is NO official word from Buffet….. This is just a rumor as of now and its working just as they wanted…
It was reported on KMOX that the president of Inbev is in Washington drumming up support for his bid for AB.
Does this strick anyone else as “The fox guarding the henhouse”?
A CEO of a foreign company in our nations capital garnering support to purchase an American company!!! with potentially the lose of thousands of jobs. I am now convinced we are going to hell in a hand basket. I understand capitalism, free trade and all that, heck if the political leaders play their cards right we could become a hub for Chinese imports and create numerous jobs, but this just seems wrong!